Crimson Kiss: The Sequel to Raven Heart
by Alif Maksura
Summary: Matt meets a pair of glowing eyes, which tell the boy that he will not live much longer. The question is, who do they belong to?
1. A checkup

Crimson kiss  
  
Chapter 1: A checkup  
  
I DEFINITELY don't own Cyberchase or any of its characters. PBS does.  
  
Matt stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. It was 5:00 in the morning, and Matt was locked in a cold sweat. He was reflecting on that horrible dream he once had of Inez killing everyone in Control Center, and then himself killing his friend, who never acted on her own free will.  
  
It wasn't because the dream seemed real, it wasn't because of those images of his friends, bleeding, suffering, and dying in horror. It was because of that story Inez told of Paul, and its gruesome connections to the fight with Evil Inez.  
  
Matt knew that was a bad omen, that somehow, he hadn't seen the end of it all. It was all so painful, and so unforgettable. He knew something that bad just doesn't stay down. And so the thought constantly haunted him. He was no longer looking at his friends the same way, but they understood why. So none of the girls, or Digit, Motherboard, or Marbles felt the need to bring up the subject.  
  
The boy hadn't experienced anything related to the dream now for 10 months.  
  
He had been keeping this to himself for 10 months as well; he refused to talk with anyone about it, and, since then, he hadn't encountered anyone more evil than Hacker either.  
  
Except just once.  
  
It happened on a silent, summer evening about 4 months ago.  
  
Matt gave up trying to sleep at about 2:00 in the morning. He just couldn't relax. Something was terribly wrong, and, even though it was summer, Matt felt a chilling tingling along his spinal cord.  
  
Without warning, out of nowhere came a violent gust of wind. For no reason at all, the window in his room opened, and a powerful breeze slammed Matt into the wall. He cursed the weather forecasters and got up to shut the window.  
  
But he never made it.  
  
The wind immediately died down 2 seconds later, and two bright points of light came in through the opening. The points grew larger, and the light became blinding. Matt was rooted on the spot, hardly daring to move. He thought the lights looked somewhat like spheres. Then he realized that they were eyes.  
  
Those eyes were narrowed, and they were filled with fiery rage. Their gaze was so cruel, Matt thought that he was never going to be happy again. For a second that seemed to contain hours and hours, the eyes just glared at the frozen boy. Next, out of the silence, came a voice, a voice that sounded like an ear-splitting jackhammer. It was so high-pitched, that Matt could not tell whether it was that of a female or a male.  
  
"You're a loser, Matt," it said softly.  
  
Matt wanted to scream, to cry for help. But his whole body could not bear this experience. He felt like he was losing the use of every last part of his body, except his eyes and ears.  
  
All he could do now was stare into the glowing eyes. His system was almost fully hypnotized. Whatever part of his brain was not focused on the situation was now battling for the use of his vocal cords.  
  
"Aiii...?" he said. "Arrr...caaa...da..." he burbled. "Wha...ge...who...you?" That was all he could manage. The eyes broke his sense of proportion, and Matt now felt like he had not spoken for decades, that all he had done was stare.  
  
Now the glowing eyes blinked. Then they bulged in anger. Matt could tell this was an expression of annoyance, even though he not see any sort of mouth, or any other features that came with a face. Anyway, these eyes were too horrible to belong to any organism's face.  
  
Eventually, the high-pitched voice came back.  
  
"You're Matt, right?" it said, sounding exasperated. All Matt could do was nod, helpless before this intruder. "The boy Inez calls 'Matthew'?" continued the voice with a hint of impatience.  
  
Matt could have told the voice how Inez only calls him 'Matthew' when he calls her 'Nezzie' and that he really only calls her 'Nezzie' because, for her age, Inez got a little overpowering at times and that she sometimes enjoyed bossing him around, for she knew a lot, and she sometimes didn't mind showing it off, which got on his nerves, justifying the means. Instead, all he could do was say, "Yes, well, er, erm..."  
  
"You're a loser," repeated the voice, "A foolish little brat." "Er..." "You might as well tell your girlfriend that your days are numbered, that is, if a dope like you isn't even in special education." At this point, Matt was angry. Part of him wanted to talk back, to tell the voice off. But his brain was overwhelmed, and his soul was still screaming for the eyes to leave, for this to be a dream he would wake up from.  
  
"Ah..." he stammered, desperately searching for words, "Ah..." "Oh, do shut up," snapped the voice. At that instant, the two eyes shrunk away to nothing, and the wind started up again. "Ah...stop!" said Matt. "You! Who are you? What do you want? I can speak now!"  
  
The wind built into a deafening roar, and Matt's window shut all by itself. He forced it open, and began screaming out into the night. "This!" he shouted. "This? This? You? Here? Come back! Say that to my face! Say it again!"  
  
He yelled and yelled, but the wind eventually died down. Whoever that was, they were gone now, and Matt was left alone, with a feeling he had never experienced before: a combination of exhaustion, confusion, horror, disgust—and anger! Every hair on his body was standing on end, he was sweating so much that even his clothes were soaked, and his hands were shaking, ready to break anything that moved. Matt stood there, overcome by the encounter with this weird host. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the wall.  
  
That was four months ago. And no, he had not mentioned that incident to anyone else either. 


	2. Enter the Demon

Crimson kiss 

Chapter 2: Enter the Demon

This morning, four months after that, Matt was fed up. Today was the day he would reveal all of his inner thoughts to his friends, and confess his weird encounter. He needed someone to carry all this misery for him.

And he certainly would have, that is, if he were in his room.

Matt was inside an open, wooden coffin in front of a large, golden organ. He sat bolt upright and stared at his surroundings.

He was in a church, and the coffin was on an elevated platform that led to flights of stairs which then extended into the audience. Luckily, the church was deserted, and no one occupied the dozens of rows of seats. The entire floor was also covered in a sand orange carpet, like the desert. The ceiling was also richly decorated with paintings concerning Jesus and Mary. In addition, there were windows all around the church with colored glass. The pictures they formed were so beautifully carved, they almost looked three dimensional.

Matt shook his head and pinched himself, but that just gave him a huge pain on the arm. So...he wasn't dreaming? Where was he?

And out of the dark came a voice. "Well, you finally woke up." _That's my voice,_ thought Matt. _No, I must be talking to myself._ Matt slapped himself and said out loud, "I'd better get out of here."

"You may go," said the voice, "after I have killed you."

He wasn't talking to himself! Someone was in the room with him. _There's no one here, _Matt reassured himself. _Wait, something's materializing in front of me!_

And indeed something was. It had two antenna, a robot body, and it was lavender all around. Matt knew who it was, there was no mistake...

"D...D...Delete Clone?"

The clone laughed, and it was using Matt's voice as well. "Wow, the idiot can figure things out. Bet you weren't expecting to see me again."

Before Matt could react, the clone dematerialized, and out of the dark came a large...what was it? It had a nose, a mouth, and eyes, but otherwise no other recognizable features on its blue body with purple stripes.

"Or perhaps you remember me better," it said with the same voice, "as the Egyptian worm."

Matt had no idea what was going on. At that instant, the worm disintegrated, and from its ashes crawled a bug.

"Meet the bug you shot with the hose." growled Matt's voice. "That was me too, as if you didn't know..."

"I don't," said Matt, who was getting agitated. "You're talking nonsense."

The bug disappeared, but the voice continued, with a hint of impatience. "Don't you get it, Matt? Those were all holograms. I'm trying to tell you something, but I guess my clues are too complicated for your bean-sized brain."

The voice then laughed and said, "But I'd have to agree with you. The thing is, when you're reincarnated, you're not supposed to remember your previous life. However, as I died more often, I gradually became aware of it. Gradually."

The voice, whoever it belonged to, paused, and then exploded. "Anyone would, you know, if the same thing kept happening to them! Every life I've ever lived ended in being killed by Matt. I would choose a new life, make sure there was no way Matt would find me, and settle down."

Again the voice paused, probably to swallow saliva, as if it had been waiting for years and years to say this.

"But just when I think I've got it made, along comes Matt, and BOOM! I die. Well, I've had it Matt! Call me crazy, Matt, I dare you to!"

"You're crazy," Shouted Matt. "I mean it! Listen to yourself!"

Now Matt could hear wheezing sounds; the voice was panting for breath. It didn't seem to take in a word of what Matt said.

"Here's the moment," it rasped, "When at last I knew who the assassin was!"

An image flashed before Matt's eyes. He found himself staring at Hacker, who was battling a boy who looked exactly like Matt, but was dressed like a Sailor Scout.

Before he could react, the boy cried out, "MATEO EMERALD EARTH SACRIFICE!" and his energy wrapped around him and destroyed everything...including himself......When the green light faded, the sailor scout was not breathing or showing any vital signs of life.

Then the screen went black.

"Tell me it was a coincidence, Matt!" screeched the voice. I DARE you to tell me it was a coincidence!"

Still puzzled, Matt automatically droned, "It was not."

"Oh yeah? Let's see you say that to my face! That's right, I have a new body, and this time, I'm not going to let you destroy it. Today, I will be the one handing out punishment instead of receiving it!"

No sooner had those words stopped coming than something materialized on top of the organ. It jumped off and landed on its feet right in front of Matt.

Matt looked up, and wanted to scream even louder at the figure he was looking at than four months ago when he saw the eyes.

He was looking at a mindless mixture of his friends and enemies. The figure's left side was of goodness, and the figure's right side was of evil. On the left, Matt recognized the following features: The leg of Dr. Marbles, the body, and skin tone of Jackie, the beak and arm of Digit, and the eyes and hair of Inez. As a final touch, the left side also had the wings of a dove. On the right, Matt recognized the following features: The body of Machinos, the eye and arm of Blackjack, the leg of Delete, the antenna and mouth of Buzz, and the hair and skin tone of Hacker. As a final touch, the right side also had the wings of a bat.

No one spoke for a long time; the two just stared at one another. Finally, the figure said, "You know, I could go on about how many times I was killed by you. But none of them involved of this body. Oh no. This is my final body. My last chance for revenge. My body specifically designed to kill Matt. And I'm not even going to go into how hard I worked to get it. But don't worry. I didn't harm anyone in order to get it."

Matt was thoroughly spooked. But in a last-minute attempt to sound tough, shouted, "Oh yeah? Well, it looks like you lost the instructions trying to put yourself together!"

The figure smiled. "Yes, joke while you are still capable of doing so. But I shall have the last laugh, once I avenge all the lives you killed."

"Enough!" Yelled Matt. "You are bluffing. I did nothing!"

"SILENCE! You are a multi-me murderer, and today, you will be the fodder," roared the figure, "of me! THE CRIMSON BLADE!"


	3. Two Vendettas

Crimson kiss 

Chapter 3: Two Vendettas

"Crimson Blade?" Stammered Matt. "That's your name?"

"Yes!" Screamed Crimson Blade. "Now shut up and listen. I have reincarnated myself countless numbers of times, but every time I have, you have killed me! And don't try to deny it, Matt, I have far too much proof!

"I was once a Delete clone, created when Delete sneezed and activated the Cloneatron. I was free to roam around R-Fair City as much as I like. I even ran into Blackjack sometimes! But then, along come two people and suck me up into a vacuum! Who was one of these people? YOU!

"However, I came back, this time in the form of a beast. Hacker used the Eye of Rom to create a monster, and I took on that role as an Egyptian worm. But no sooner do I start off my new career than some kid gets up close and tickles me, causing the pyramid to fall and crush me! Who tickled me? YOU!

"But again, I was reincarnated. This time, I was released into the Cybrary as a bug, made to devour data and put Hacker in place of Motherboard in all references. But I was afraid you would find me this way, so instead I bit the bird, Digit. But then he heads over to a boy, who sprays me with a hose, causing me to disintegrate! Who operated the hose? YOU!

"So I can't take it anymore, Matt. You have brought out the worst in all of me, and therefore the worst-case scenario for yourself! _What do you have against me?_"

"Nothing! You're mad," Matt couldn't stop himself. "You're a psychotic liar!"

"A liar, am I? Mad, am I?" screeched Crimson Blade. "Those are interesting words coming from a person who's gone out of his way to kill me! That's a really weird definition. But I think what you just said defines the word 'lie' perfectly!

"At one point, I decided not to come back. It was hopeless. But then I saw what seemed like my salvation! I came back as a squid inside a pit filled with extremely hot water! Yes, the conditions were torture, but definitely better than getting killed by you again. But then you jumped into that pit in R-Fair City, even though the girl, Inez, told you not to. Well, guess what. Your body heat brought the water to a level which thoroughly cooked me! Again I died! Coincidence? I think not!

"And what about the time you poured one cup of sand into the goblet in Pompadoria? Well, a beetle lived in that sand, and that was me too! You took me from my home! Three days later I died! Coincidence? No!

So one day I reincarnated myself as a drug dealer, but I had to kill myself when the police caught me. But when I got this body, I decided to avenge my other life forms and make you suffer by making my presence more obvious."

Matt began to piece it together. "So you were Paul!"

Crimson Blade smiled.

Matt's eyes widened from the shock. "And you placed that dream about the mind control chip on Inez inside of me!"

Crimson Blade snickered. "Ah, Matt. I see you have not changed a bit, not even when I saw you four months ago."

Matt choked. "You were those eyes!"

Crimson Blade rolled his/her eyes. "And I had to tell you all this right now? You just realized this now? You know, Matt, you're not as horrified as you should be. You see, from all that I've watched you do, I've realized that the most time you suffer is when your friends are threatened. And as you know, I have always looked for the ways to make you hurt the most."

It was at this moment that Matt realized just how dangerous Crimson Blade was becoming. He said, "Uh," but he didn't even have time to say "oh," before it happened.

Crimson Blade drew out a remote from his/her pocket and pushed several buttons.

The floor opened up, and out of the ground rose three crosses. There were figures nailed to them, but Matt couldn't identify them. That is, until Crimson Blade flipped on the lights in the church.

It was just as Matt had feared. The three figures were Jackie, Inez, and Digit.

Jackie's body was scarred all over, and her clothes were ripped. Her hair was also dirty and scraggly.

Inez was badly burned from head to toe. Her glasses were gone, and her hair had been shaved clean off.

Digit was covered in mud, and his secret compartment had been broken.

All three of them had closed eyes, and all three of them showed no signs of life.

And if that wasn't enough horror for Matt's eyes, his ears then exploded when Crimson Blade pressed another button.

Out of the silence came the painful screams of the ones nailed to the crosses. It was as though the girls and Digit were having their skin punctured by a thousand jellyfish tentacles.

Then there was silence, followed by Matt's howls of anguish, and his hurt sobs.

After some time, Crimson Blade let out a whistle. "Yes! Oh, I've waited for this moment forever. Finally, for every punishment you inflicted upon me, you are suffering tenfold!"

At this, Matt's sorrow was replaced by deep hatred. He wheeled on Crimson Blade and screamed, "YOU CRUCIFIED THEM! THEY DID NOTHING! AND NOW THEY'RE DEAD!"

Crimson Blade laughed cruelly. "That's the beauty of it. They are innocent. But that just makes your pain all the more intensified. And they are not dead. But as you can see, I have all but killed them. By my calculations, I'd say their minutes are numbered.

"You know, this kind of reminds me of the time I was reincarnated as Reptimon and you found the spirit of ExVeemon—"

For a moment, Matt's anger decreased a little. "Now you're lying. I don't even know what ExVeemon is. I never found any spirit."

"—and you shot your VEE LASER at a maroon colored dragon, destroying its body completely. Guess who that digimon was! What did you say?"

"I said I never was ExVeemon, and I certainly never shot a laser at a maroon colored dragon. Was that you, too?"

Crimson Blade's smirk turned into a frantic grimace. "You must have. You were responsible for my death when I was Reptimon, just like all my other lives."

Then it hit him/her. "You haven't found the spirit..._yet?_"

Matt shook his head. "Does this happen in the future?"

"Oh, you get the spirit, all right. You're going to find it sooner or later." It was Crimson Blade's turn to howl. "Drat! I've brought you here at the wrong time!" He/She took a deep breath and screamed, "_I've brought you here at the #$%& wrong time!"_

Suddenly Crimson Blade turned a hateful, bloodshot eye toward the heartbroken Matt. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAY, EVEN IF I WAS WRONG ONCE! I'LL BREAK YOU AND THEN LET YOU WATCH YOUR FRIENDS DIE! THEN YOU'RE NEXT! LET'S SEE YOU GET OUT OF THIS ONE, MATTHEW!"


	4. Fight to the Finish

Crimson kiss  
  
Chapter 4: Fight to the finish  
  
Crimson Blade then leapt into the air and zoomed at Matt, smacking him right in the chest. The boy was sent flying into the audience and crashed into the chairs. Eyes glazed with hatred, Matt tried to get back on his feet. But his spine now throbbed with pain, and he fell to his knees, moaning over his collision.  
  
"Oh, YES! That felt good." Said Crimson Blade, who was on the verge of giggles. "Now, I'm going to take your friends—or what's left of them—and tear them to pieces. You are quite fortunate to be able to witness this. Maybe I should let you live longer—just long enough for you to run home and tell the neighborhood that your friends were killed and it's all because you decided to start a killing revolution on me."  
  
And with that, Crimson Blade turned and tiptoed toward the crosses, savoring every second possible.  
  
"NO!" Cried Matt. He sprang to life, dashed up the stairs, and tackled the evil jigsaw person. Matt then turned his enemy over, so that Crimson Blade's eyes looked directly into his. He then grabbed Hacker's half of the hair and pulled it, no longer thinking about his back. In fact, he stopped thinking about his friends—all that mattered now was do as much harm to Crimson Blade as possible.  
  
"You..." He roared, "have robbed me of my friends and my very way of life. I can't forgive you anymore! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"  
  
Crimson Blade's legs kicked Matt into the air, causing him to take a big fall on his already injured spine. After getting up, he/she yawned. "Oh, this is standard news to me. 'You're going to die, Crimson Blade!' So what else is new? Except you will die instead of me. I mean, admit it Matt! Here you are, sprawled on the floor, twitching in agony. It's hopeless! You don't even have the stamina left to save your own friends. And believe me, there's not much left that's keeping me from strangling you on the spot.  
  
"But I'm willing to make a deal with you. Apologize for all the times you killed me, and I'll let your friends live. I'll put them in the hospital, and then kill you painlessly. A win-win situation, don't you think?"  
  
For a moment, Matt considered this, and he began to despair. I have to do this. It's better for Inez, Jackie, and Digit. They don't deserve this. Apologies? That's not too much to ask.  
  
Yet he jerked his mind the other way. You coward. How can you trust this lunatic to keep his/her end of the bargain? He's/She's a cold-blooded killer, and you know it. It's better to lose my friends trying to save them. The girls and Digit wouldn't understand if I placed their fates in the hands of the one who broke them.  
  
Finally, he gasped, "Yeah? Why don't you go tell Hacker your sad story, because I am NOT interested!"  
  
And as soon as he finished, Matt grabbed Crimson Blade's leg and jerked it. The figure lost its balance and fell, rubbing its injured leg. But Crimson Blade did not notice that he/she let go of the remote.  
  
Matt crawled toward it, and pressed the EJECT button.  
  
It worked like he wanted. Whatever was binding the girls and Digit now stopped working, and the three of them fell to the ground, still motionless.  
  
Blood trickling out of his mouth, Matt got up to face the already standing Crimson Blade. For another deadly moment they stared at one another, both faces showing equal loathing.  
  
Finally, Crimson Blade scoffed. "Very familiar, isn't it, Matt? This is just like the final showdown between you and Inez. Except this time, you have no Resplandor to save your sorry derrière. And I know dozens of ways to kill you with my bare hands. Though I'm sure one will be enough for your grand exit. But first..."  
  
Crimson Blade's voice gave out. Without warning, he/she turned around and swooped over the girls and Digit like a vulture diving for a dead animal.  
  
And all of a sudden, Matt went nuts. His anger and grief rose to a level so dangerous, a surge of energy filled his body and began driving him to perform something Matt never dreamed he could do.  
  
Matt leaped into the air and performed a flying kick to the back of Crimson Blade's head. The kick was so powerful, it sent the big dummy crashing into the three crosses, which was followed by a miracle. The projectiles broke, and were sent flying into the golden organ. The impact was so tremendous, several of the front pipes were severed, and fell to the ground—right on top of Crimson Blade's chest!  
  
The pipes completely flattened Crimson Blade like a waffle. The only thing that wasn't covered was his/her head. The evil villain then let out shrieks and roars of pain, but there was nothing more he/she could do. With his/her last breath, Crimson Blade gurgled painfully,  
  
"You know what you've done? You've gone and killed me again. I mean, what do you want from me, blood?"  
  
And that head then drooped to the left shoulder, eyes closed, and no smile.  
  
Matt took one last look at Crimson Blade, glaring in disgust. Then he sucked up his saliva and spit into the face of his now fallen enemy.  
  
And even before the spit landed, Matt rushed to his unconscious friends, half-blinded by tears, his spirit shattered, and his strength completely gone. Just before collapsing, he took out his Sqwak pad, dialed Motherboard, and gasped, "Portal..." 


	5. Epilogue

Crimson kiss  
  
Chapter 5: Epilogue  
  
Summer eventually gave in to fall, and today seemed just like yesterday. The hot, motionless air was replaced by loud, chilly winds. The trees in the neighborhood lost their leaves, leaving many shades of brown to look at. Dark clouds invaded the sky and let loose their contents every so often. And Matt was making his daily trip to the hospital.  
  
Along the way, he took out the letter sent by Digit, thinking he might as well read it again.  
  
To Matt,  
  
Knowing you, it must have been a breeze knocking down Crimson Whack-job, eh? At this moment, the Doc is fixing my compartment. He says I'm going to live, but it will take many...what are they again...oh yeah, months—I knew that—before I'm back to my old self. Actually, it's Dr. Marbles who's writing this letter, I'm just telling him what to put. Well, Matt, I gotta go. Keep in touch. And say hello to the girls for me!  
  
-Digit LeBoid  
  
Matt had to put away the letter; his tears were already falling on the paper. Besides, he was now in the lobby of the hospital. After waiting a few minutes, (they seemed like days) a woman with a grim smile walked over to Matt and said, "Well, hello Matt. I know exactly why you're here."  
  
It was Jackie's mom. She sat right next to him, her hands shaking. "We've been constantly watching over the girls, along with Inez's parents. Though I constantly have to leave the room. I just can't bear looking at Jackie suffering so much. And I don't know why everyone else can."  
  
Matt almost chuckled. "You're just like her. You have your own style of doing things."  
  
At this, Jackie's mom gave him a hug. "Yes, Matt. You're certainly right about that." And she began to sob. Even though she forgot to say thank you, Matt knew she thought it—and he understood.  
  
After half an hour Matt was in the same room as Jackie and Inez. He kept his distance, for he wanted to be looking at both girls at the same time.  
  
Jackie smiled, despite the fact that she was nearly bandaged all over. "Hey, Matt," she whispered.  
  
"Well," said Inez, "My burns are being treated. But I am mostly suffering because of my hair loss. It will take forever to grow back. However, I'm certainly glad it didn't happen to Jackie. She would have screamed a lot more."  
  
At this, Jackie tried to laugh, but all she could manage was a few hacking coughs. "Actually, I like my hair let down. It brings out my 'bigger' qualities."  
  
Matt could not speak. He could only listen.  
  
Then Jackie muttered, "Matt, you saved us. Eventually this will all be a memory."  
  
"No," cried Matt, "You will never be the same. And neither will I. This will hurt me for the rest of my life."  
  
Inez frowned, as if to express annoyance. "I don't know if this will make you feel better, but you must have fought one heck of a battle to save us and bring us here. Try thinking about that instead."  
  
It was here that Matt said he had to leave. He did leave the hospital, and continued to make visits, all the while thinking about what he'd been told. After a while, Matt didn't feel the need to take the blame anymore. And he began to accept the love his friends were trying to give.  
  
As Jackie said, eventually, this would all be a memory.  
  
There was a church, which nobody entered. And why bother? The place was a mess, and the organ inside was broken, and three of the pipes lay on the ground. Nothing ever happened there.  
  
Until one day, the pipes rumbled. Out of the rubble shot two hands. One belonged to Digit, and the other belonged to Blackjack.  
  
THE End......?  
  
Of course not. But it is the end of "Crimson Kiss". I just can't think of anything else to add. Anyway, a saga this rich can't just end here, so I've left a cliffhanger for future writers to begin with. It will be especially interesting to see how the next writer will explain how the heck Crimson Blade survived that, if the writer chooses to do so. And maybe we will finally learn Crimson Blade's gender! Well, I hope you enjoyed my first Cyberchase fanfic ever. See you later! 


End file.
